Derrick Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, but before that, many wondered if he would join the Dallas Cowboys.
The problem is, the Cowboys never contacted him.
During a recent appearance on The Pivot podcast, Henry spoke about his journey in free agency and seemed surprised that Dallas expressed no interest in him.
“They ain’t holla at me at all,” Henry said. “It would’ve been crazy. I thought it’d been some type of reach out, some type of talks or whatever. They never reached out, you know what I’m saying? I don’t really know too much about their organization. All I know is what I hear. I was talking to my agent. They weren’t really interested. It is what it is. Like I said earlier, I’m gonna be where I’m gonna be, and I feel like Baltimore was the perfect spot.”
Given that the Cowboys lost Tony Pollard in free agency and are currently employing Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle in their backfield, the fact that they didn’t pursue Henry is puzzling to some.
However, a simple look at Dallas’ financial situation reveals the answer.
The Cowboys were very tight against the salary cap going into free agency, and with quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons all angling for new deals, they simply did not have enough money to pay an aging running back.
Or almost anyone, for that matter.
Dallas made just one free-agent signing, inking linebacker Eric Kendricks to a one-year deal. Taking that into consideration, the two-year, $16 million deal the Ravens gave Henry certainly seemed out of reach for the club.
Derrick Henry is now 30 years old, so the Cowboys were surely being cautious by avoiding him. He may have rushed for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season, but he averaged just 4.2 yards per carry, which was his lowest mark since his sophomore campaign in 2017.
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